Prerequisite: Lesson 5.
New words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| es | is, am, are — before a noun |
One word, and it earns its place at the end of this lesson. es joins a subject to a noun: Nama mi es Luma, my name is Luma. It never goes before an adjective — dom mi keci, my house is small, has no es in it and never will. That is the whole rule, and grammar/copula.md gives the reasoning.
The owner comes second
To say whose something is, put the owner right after it.
| Amadunia | English |
|---|---|
| dom mi | my house |
| nama yu | your name |
| anak ta | her child, his child |
| rafiki kita | our friend |
You already know mi, yu, ta, kita. There is no separate word for my — the ordinary pronoun does it.
Works with any noun
The owner does not have to be a pronoun.
| Amadunia | English |
|---|---|
| dom rafiki | the friend’s house |
| nama anak | the child’s name |
| ca doktor | the doctor’s tea |
Owner, then description
If you also want to describe the thing, the owner comes first, then the adjective.
| Amadunia | English |
|---|---|
| dom mi kabir | my big house |
| anak ta keci | his small child |
| rafiki yu hao | your good friend |
Chains
Each word belongs to the one before it. Keep going as long as you need.
| Amadunia | English |
|---|---|
| dom rafiki mi | my friend’s house |
| anak rafiki yu | your friend’s child |
| nama anak rafiki mi | my friend’s child’s name |
In a sentence
| Amadunia | English |
|---|---|
| Mi kan dom yu. | I see your house. |
| Rafiki mi saufa lai. | My friend will come. |
| Anak ta suda nomu ca. | His child drank tea. |
| Kita bil nama doktor. | We know the doctor’s name. |
With plurals
Double the noun, then add the owner:
| Amadunia | English |
|---|---|
| anak-anak mi | my children |
| dom-dom rafiki | the friend’s houses |
| tri anak ta | her three children |
A conversation
— Nama yu? — Nama mi es Luma. Nama yu? — Nama mi es Sol. Dom yu kabir? — No, dom mi keci. Rafiki mi lai! — Rafiki yu hao? — Ya, rafiki mi hao.
Your name? — My name is Luma. Yours? — My name is Sol. Is your house big? — No, my house is small. My friend is coming! — Is your friend good? — Yes, my friend is good.
Practice
- Dom mi keci. — My house is small. (You met this sentence in Lesson 3 as a guess. It was right.)
- Mi mau ca yu. — I want your tea.
- Anak-anak rafiki mi kula pan. — My friend’s children eat bread.
- Doktor suda kan anak ta. — The doctor saw her child.
- Nama rafiki yu? — Your friend’s name?
What you can already say
Six lessons, 60 roots, and still not one word has changed its shape. You can now say whose anything is, to any depth, using only words you already had.
Questions are covered in Lesson 7.